Kilte Awlalo, Wukro –– The inauguration event of a new joint venture by the governments of Israel and Germany, collaborating with Ministry of Agriculture of Ethiopia and FAO, was held on 3rd of July last Wednesday, where representatives of these governments officially laid the foundation of 1.5 hectare of plantation project endeavors with the aim of rehabilitating landless youth association members of Kilte Awlalo Kebele found near Wukro woreda, Tigrai Regional State.
The youth aged 30 and below were clustered under a 31-member Farmers’ Association, of which 15 are women, established with the aim of providing livelihood to landless young farmers–– thereby encouraging them to come out robust and optimistic in their efforts to enhance their lives at large.
The Embassy of Germany offered most of the fund required to set up 31 plots of land to plant mainly avocado trees and trial observation plots on hilly slope terraces, and on which drip irrigation technique will be introduced. The government of Israel (via its International Development Cooperation Agency called MASHAV) contributed the remaining funds needed, on top of its agriculture experts who will supervise the area.
Each of the 31 members, hence, will be assigned to plant 12 avocado trees. Moreover, they will be monitoring additional observation plots on which they will introduce different varieties of fruit trees such as: fig, cactus, citrus, grapes, and more.
A water reservoir of a 134 cubic meters capacity had been constructed as a water source, 60 meters above the Qurier dam.
While our Ambassador Belaynesh Zevadia along with her German counterpart Ambassador Lieselore Cyrus launched this project, Mayor of Mekelle town, officials from the Ethiopian Agriculture Ministry and Italian Embassy, as well as invited officials from Tigray region attended the inauguration event on Wednesday.
(Above) Chronicle by The Daily Monitor newspaper which attended the event